ELLESMERE Port and Neston Conservatives held their annual association dinner with guest speaker, former Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble, now Lord Trimble of Lisnagarvey.
Association chairman, Elton councillor Jeremy Langdon, welcomed more than 55 guests to the event at Inglewood Manor Hotel, Ledsham.
These included people from neighbouring constituencies including Chester, Crewe and Nantwich, Halton and Wirral West.
Cllr Langdon said: “We were greatly honoured that someone of Lord Trimble’s international significance agreed to attend the dinner.”
During his address, Lord Trimble gave an insight into the recent Northern Ireland peace process and expressed his confidence that the current administration in Ulster, while seemingly an odd mix of personalities, would put aside their sectarian differences and work successfully together to deal with the everyday issues that the people of that part of Great Britain face each day.
Lord Trimble, who led the Ulster Unionists for 10 years from 1995, also spoke about his decision to join the Conservative ranks in the House of Lords and explained that the move was part of a long-term ambition.
He said the move would give his political career a wider horizon.
Lord Trimble won a Nobel Peace Prize, along with the SDLP’s John Hume, for his part in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
However, he stepped down as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party after losing his Westminster seat in Upper Bann at the 2005 General Election.
